Ancora Coffee Roasters - Coffee 101 - Glossary of Coffee Terms


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Coffee "101" >> Glossary of Coffee Terms

Glossary of Coffee Terms

Acidity	The first flavor impression of a coffee. Also, coffee's pleasant sharpness or snap. See 'Brightness'.
American roast	The lightest roast of commercial-grade coffees; the flavor is sharp, light-bodied and shallow. Also 'Cinnamon roast'.
Arabica	Common name for Coffea arabica, one of the two principal commercial species of coffee. Arabica accounts for approximately 70% of world coffee production. Also see Robusta.
Aroma	The fragrance or odor of coffee, either as roasted beans or brewed.
Baked (Bakey)	Taster's term for a flavor defect where coffee is dull from lack of acidity, usually from roasting too long.
Blending	The art of combining two or more coffees, usually to achieve a consistent flavor profile.
Body	Taster's perception of the volume and intensity of a coffee's flavor.
Brightness	Taster's term for coffee's crisp first flavor impression. Also 'acidity'.
Café au Lait	A beverage made with equal portions of brewed coffee and hot milk.
Café Bianco	Lightly roasted coffee used for espresso style drinks. An Ancora specialty also known as 'white coffee'.
Café Latte	Espresso combined with steamed milk and a small amount of foam.
Caffeine	An odorless, white, crystalline, bitter alkaloid that stimulates the central nervous system. Caffeine occurs naturally in coffee, tea and chocolate.
Cappuccino	A coffee beverage made from espresso and steamed milk topped with milk foam. Ancora's is two parts milk and foam, and one part espresso.
Carbon dioxide (CO2)	A gas formed and exuded by coffee beans as a byproduct of the roasting process. Ancora uses this excellent natural barrier to protect the freshness of fresh-packed coffee.
Cherry	The whole ripe fruit of the coffee tree.
Chocolatey	Taster's term for flavor notes reminiscent of the richness and sweetness of chocolate.
Cinnamon roast	A light brown roast color with beans showing no oil development. Cinnamon roast coffee's flavor is thin, acidy and shallow. See 'American Roast'.
Decaffeinated Coffee	Coffee beans with at least 97% of the caffeine removed.
Dry Process	The original method of processing ripe coffee cherries. Whole cherries dry on the tree; or picked cherries are spread out to dry on mats or patios. Once dry, hulls are removed by hand or mechanically. Dry process coffees have more diverse, earthy flavors and heavier body than beans processed by the Wet method.
Earthy	Tasting term for a flavor note reminiscent of clean, fresh-turned earth.
Espresso	A coffee beverage created by pressurized water and steam extraction through finely ground coffee. So named because it is made expressly for the customer.
Estate	A farm where coffee is both grown and milled, so the operator fully manages quality. Also, the highest grade of beans from a mill that serves an entire region of growers.
Finish	Aftertaste; flavor notes remaining after coffee has been swallowed.
Flavor Compounds	Organic and inorganic chemicals that create coffee's flavor characteristics, either by evaporating (aroma) or dissolving (liquid).
French Roast	Roast color that is very dark brown with a fully oily surface. French roast's flavor and aroma are pungent, bittersweet and smoky.
Freshness	Flavor attributes of beans used promptly after roasting. Also, in reference to proper packaging and storage, retention of fresh flavor attributes.
Fruity	Coffee whose aroma or flavor reminiscent of fruit, typically cherries, brambles and berries; generally a positive attribute.
Full City Roast	Roast color that is dark brown with patchy oil development. Ancora's Full City roast features the ideal balance of flavor, body, aroma and brightness.
Grading	Coffee beans are graded to establish levels of desirability in the marketplace. Each producing country has its own grading system. Most systems grade by appearance - a combination of bean size, uniformity, and percentage of foreign matter. Some countries add grading standards related to cup quality, such as growing altitude, bean density and sun drying.
Green	A taster's term for coffee that tastes sharp or grassy. Usually from under-ripe beans, sometimes from under-roasting.
High Grown (HG)	A grading term for coffees grown at elevations of 2000 to 4000 feet above sea level. Also see 'SHG'.
Indirect decaffeination	A decaffeination method where solvents do not come in contact with coffee beans; the most favored for Specialty coffees. Hot water soaking leaches the caffeine from coffee beans. The water is drawn off and decaffeinated, then the solvent and caffeine are removed from the water, which is then remixed with the beans to restore vital flavor compounds.
Italian (Vienna) Roast	A roast color designation that varies by geographic area. Lighter than French Roast on the US West coast, it's the darkest roast on the East coast.
Lifeless	Lacking in acidity due to under brewing or staleness.
Methylene Chloride	The decaffeination chemical most used for specialty-grade coffees.
Mellow	Taster's term for coffee with smooth, well-rounded flavor and low to moderately bright.
Milling	The process of converting coffee from harvested cherry to roaster-ready green beans. Milling includes removal of fruit pulp and other soft outer layers by wet or dry methods; then cleaning, drying, grading and packaging for export.
Monsooned coffee	Green beans that are stored and seasoned by exposure to the humid monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean. The beans absorb moisture, swell, and change to a light brown color. Monsooned coffee is very heavy-bodied and syrupy textured, with a nutty flavor.
Mouthfeel	Taster's term for the tactile impressions of weight and 'fullness' made by a coffee on the palate. Related to 'Body'.
Natural Process	See 'Dry Process'.
Nutty	Taster's term for coffee with aroma or flavor reminiscent of roasted nuts.
Origin	A coffee from a single country.
Pergamino (Parchment)	Coffee beans stored inside their papery inner capsule after wet milling and drying, but before dry milling. Pergamino refers to 'purgatory', the state between Heaven and Hell.
Pulp	The coffee cherry's skin and fruit after they have been removed from the coffee bean during wet processing.
Pyrolysis	Roasting term for the series of rapid chemical reactions triggered by application of heat during the roasting process.
Region	A notable coffee producing area within an origin country; such as Harrar in Ethiopia, or Antigua in Guatemala.
Rich	A coffee with intense aroma, flavor, body; or a combination of these characteristics.
Roasting	The process of heating green coffee under controlled conditions of heat and airflow. Roasting initiates a series of chemical reactions (Pyrolysis), which change the chemistry of coffee, developing complex chemical compounds sensed as flavor and aroma. Pyrolysis is dynamic; meaning that altering the time and/or temperature pattern of a roast will also change its flavor.
Roast Color (Level)	Roasting term for the shades of color, from light to dark brown, of roasted coffee beans. Color matching of individual batches of the same roasted coffee is a common quality management tool.
Roast Point	Roasting term for the point within each roast color where the coffee's optimum flavor balance occurs. Roast point is a more precise quality management tool then Roast level. It requires precise control and reading of coffee's texture and color, while the coffee is in the roaster. Ancora's Artisans roast using roast point management.
Robusta	Common name for Coffea canephora, one of two principal species of coffee. Robusta accounts for approximately 30% of world coffee production.
Silver Skin	The membrane immediately surrounding the coffee bean, which usually has a silvery appearance. Dry milling removes most of the silver skin; the remainder is removed during roasting as chaff.
Spicy	Taster's term for liveliness of aroma or flavor, reminiscent of sweet or savory spices.
Strictly High Grown (SHG)	Grading term for coffees grown at elevations of 4000+ feet above sea level. Also see 'HG'.
Strong	Coffee made using more than the recommended amount of grounds. Also applied to coffees that are perceived as having assertive flavor, such as dark roasted coffees; or full body, such as Kenya or Sumatra.
Sweet Spot	Ancora's term for our Full City Artisan Roast. It's the optimum balance of brightness, aroma, body and flavor. See 'Roast Point'
Swiss Water Process™	A patented process for decaffeination without the use of chemical solvents. SWP achieves decaffeination by use of activated carbon filters, combined with hot water and high pressure.
Unwashed Process	See 'Dry Process'.
Vienna (Italian) Roast	Roasting term for beans with a medium-dark roast color that varies by location. Typically lighter than French Roast in the Western U.S., but darker than French roast in the East.
Vienna Blend	A blend of light and dark roasted coffees.
Washed (Wet) Process	A milling method where coffee beans are separated from fruit pulp by repeated soaking and machine brushing. Washed coffees are light to medium-bodied, with bright flavors and citrus, sweet chocolate or floral notes.
Wild	Taster's term for a coffee that has extreme fruity flavor notes.
Winey	Taster's term for a coffee that is full-bodied, with distinctive notes of dry, tangy acidity reminiscent of a fine red wine. Kenya is the classic example of a winey coffee.